Romanian Business Leaders: Young people expect to be promoted within a year and plan to stay in a company for a maximum of 5 years

For the young people in Generation Z (between 16-24 years old) personal and professional development at work is one of the most important motivating factors, according to a study run by RBSL within Insights innovation program. 

They expect to receive personalized learning opportunities. As a result, the waiting time to be promoted is 1 year, compared to 4 years for the managers of a multinational company. The rapid pace of evolution also leads to a faster transition of young people from one company to another, they say they plan to stay in a company for a maximum of 5 years, compared to 10 years – which was the predominant response of managers in multinational companies.
The Insights project within Romanian Business Leaders carried out in October the Insights @Viitorul tău job event together with a large multinational company from Romania where 21 young people from Romania and 21 managers from the company participated. The purpose of this event was to observe the differences between the generations and to create a bridge through which they could work together and learn from each other.

The Insights project within Romanian Business Leaders carried out in October the Insights @Viitorul tău job event together with a large multinational company from Romania where 21 young people from Romania and 21 managers from the company participated. The purpose of this event was to observe the differences between the generations and to create a bridge through which they could work together and learn from each other.

What motivates young people?

When choosing a job, both for managers and young people, the most important things are: to do what they like (1st place), the work environment and the team (2nd place). These things are also confirmed by the Insights PulseZ study, which also surprised the fact that for about 1 in 3 young people nationally it is important and motivating to have the opportunity to contribute and leave their mark. And during the October event, young people mentioned that it is important to feel that they have a purpose in the company and that there is a mission of change at the organizational level, and their work contributes to making the world or community in which they live a better place. good.

To the question “How long should you hold a certain position in a company before being promoted” the young people answered one year, compared to the managers, who answered 4 years. Also, young people are seen working for a company for about 5 years, while 10 years has been the predominant response of managers.

The Insights PulseZ study also showed that young people want a flexible job that allows them to work both at home and in the office. 53% of young people want a mixed system of job locations, 17% want to work only from the office and only 5% of young people want to work only from home. During the event, both young people and managers were asked about their preference for office work. 85% of young people said they would rather come to the office, while only 60% of managers chose this option. Related to how young people see office work, they want the office to be open 24/7 and work when they feel productive. Also, the program should not be measured in hours per day but hours per week to provide flexibility in deciding how long to choose to stay at the office.

The importance of role models in life

Young people in Romania do not lack models, according to the Insights Pulsez study, a nationally representative study among young people between 16-24 years old. Out of a list of 16 needs, access to models ranked 15th with 27% of young people saying they lacked models. This aspect was also developed during the Insights @Viitorul tău job event, where the young people stated that their models are in the family and in the circle of close people. For the 21 managers within the multinational company Societe Generale European Business Services, their models come from public figures or entrepreneurs recognized at national or international level.

One of the conclusions of the event was that young people should be treated individually and not as part of Generation Z. The needs, expectations and desires of young people are diverse, and a standard package of benefits is difficult to meet the needs of all. The solution found in terms of benefits at work was a platform where employees can use the money from benefits as they wish.

After the interaction between young people and managers, they all noticed that there are some stereotypes and that there is a barrier between companies and young people (pupils and students) that should be removed. This need is also doubled by the figures from the Insights PulseZ study which show that approximately 1 in 2 young people nationwide needs career counseling and that the interaction between young people and companies is important.

“The managers were very open minded, and together with my colleagues from the group as well as the rest of the participants, I felt more than integrated. Thanks for the opportunity, it was amazing. ” – said Flavia, participant in the event.

“This event far exceeded my expectations, through the level of dialogue and the quality of information exchange. As a next step, we need to decide what actions we want to maintain and implement at the level of managers, human resources and communication department. ” – said Matthieu Pasquier, CEO of Societe Generale European Business Services

The study can be read here: https://vsfa.ro/studiu